Barn-door track.



W. F. JACOBS.

BARN 006R TRACK.

I APPLICATION FILED FEB- 23,1915.

1 1 99 1 85 Patented Sept. 26. 1916.

ade/7i? ms NORRY'S FEYERS co. Pnomumm WASNINGTON. n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. JACOBS, OF OTTAWA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO J. E. PORTER COMPANY, OF

OTTAWA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BARN-DOOR TRACK.

Specification of Letters I Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1%16.

Application filed February 23, 1915. Serial No. 9,829.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM F. JAG-OBS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ottawa, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Barn-Door Tracks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in barn door tracks, and more particularly to the construction of barn door tracks embodying a plurality of track sections forming a protective hood or covering for the door hanger and the track proper or tread portion.

ihe principal features of my invention are directed to the construction of the tracksupporting member, the manner of mounting the track thereon, and to the means for supporting and joining the several sections constituting the complete track. These and other features of my invention will be pointed out as I proceed with the description of the construction of the parts constituting the barn door track embodying the features of my invention and in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation of portions of the track, showing a bracket supporting the ends of the adjacent track sections; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in vertical section, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation, showing the end plates and bracket supporting the end of the track; and Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing the construction of the end plate.

The barn' door track, as shown in the accompanying drawings, and embodying the several features of my invention, comprises,

in general, a track-supporting member 10 formed to provide a protective coveringfor the door hanger and adapted to be secured to the wall 11 of a building immediately above the opening to be closed by a sliding door, and atrack member or tread portion 12, mounted on said supporting member and forming the bearing surface adapted to be engaged by the rollers of the door hanger. To afiord ease and convenience in shipment and manipulation, the track preferably consists of several sections joined end to end, there being provided a plurality of brackets 13, also adapted to be secured to the wall 11 of the building, and to engage and support the abutting ends of the track sections.

Referring now more in detail to the formation of the track, and particularly the construction of one of the track-supporting members 10, the same is preferably constructed of sheet metal, bent to the desired shape. As shown in Fig. 1, said supporting member is provided along its upper marginal portion with acomparatively narrow flange 14, adapted to be placed against the wall 11, and through which means for .attaching the sections to the wall extend, as for instance screws 14, spaced apart at suitable intervals and acting to secure the tracksupporting member to the building. The extreme upper marginal portion of the flange 14: is preferably reduced in thickness and bent inwardly toward the wall to .a' V

slight degree, as shown at 14 to provide a sharp margin adapted to be embedded into the wall when the sections of the track are applied to the wall, thereby afiording a tight and water proof joint between the sections and the wall, to prevent the leakage of water between the coacting surfaces of the flange and said wall.

From the lower margin of the vertical flange 14, the section isbent outwardly to provide an upper wall portion 15, integral with said flange ll'and inclined downwardly at a slight angle. From theouter end of the outwardly inclined portion 15 the section continues in a downwardly direction, form- -1ng a vertical portion 16 extending vertically from the outer end of said outwardly inclined portion 15 parallel with and spaced from the wall 11 of the building. At the also approximately 45 and obtained by bending the lower marginal portion of the section in a reverse direction from the inwardly inclined portion 17 immediately above.

Attached to the inwardly and upwardly facing surface of the inclined portion 17, is the before mentioned track member or tread portion 12, consisting preferably of an angle bar, having web portions unequal in length and meeting at an angle of 45. The longer of said web portions is adapted to lie flat against the inner surface of the inclined portion 17, and to be securely attached thereto in any suitable manner, preferably by welding the parts together. The longer web portion projects inwardly beyond the lower extremity of the inclined portion 17 to which it is fixed, and, since the surface thereof is inclined downwardly, the two web-members of the angle bar are so disposed as to form an upwardly facing, Vshaped groove or channel, constituting a bearing or tread surface, disposed inwardly from the adjacent portion of the track-supporting member, and adapted to be engaged by the rollers 20 of the door hanger 21, there being provided a suitable number of said hangers secured to the upper margin of the door 22,

which is suspended from the hangers in a manner to be moved lengthwise upon the track through the medium of said rollers. The door hanger 21 is preferably constructed as follows: The roller 20 is mounted on a journal 23, to which is rigidly connected a downwardly extending connecting member 2a, mounted at the end of the journal adjacent to the inner face of the roller, and pivotally connected at its lower end, below the track member 12, to a yoke secured to the upper margin of the door 22 by suitable bolts 26. The connecting member 24 is curved inwardly from the vertical plane of the roller to clear the inner margin of the track member, and immediately below the tread member the same is inclined toward said plane of the roller, thereby permitting the point of pivotal connection between the connecting member and the yoke to be located within the vertical plane of the roller. The upper surface of that-portion of the connecting member 2a immediately below the track 12 is provided with two intersecting surfaces forming an upwardly facing, V-shaped groove or notch 2% corresponding in shape to, and spaced a short distance from, the under surface of the track meme her, the vertex of. said V-shaped groove lying substantially in the vertical plane of said roller. The inclined surfaces of the V-shaped groove 2.4 are normally disposed in parallel relation to the under surfaces of the track members, and are adapted to engage the adjacent surfaces of the track 12, when the door is swung laterally or moved upwardly to such extent as would displace the roller from the track member. in this manner the construction of the connecting member provides means whereby the roller or rollers are maintained within the groove of the track, thus avoiding the danger'of breaka e of the )arts or the inconvenience and labor of replacing the roller upon the track.

As before stated, the track-supporting surface of the supporting member, and isof suflicient width to overlap the end margmal portions of the abutting sections on either side of the jOlIlt. Extending longitudinallv of and substantiall throu hout the length of, the bracket, there is provided a stiffening rib 23, located intermediate the lateral margins of the body member 27 of the bracket and projecting outwardly therefrom, the outer margin of said rib following sulrtantially the general contour of the bracket. The bracket is provided at its lower end with a hooked extremity 29 adapted to receive the lower end. marginal portions ofthe abutting sections, and at its upper end is provided with two circular bosses 30, 30, located on either side of the center line of the bracket, in which are provided holes through which extend screws 31, 31, extending through holes formed adjacent to the ends of the marginal flanges 15 of the abutting sections, and anchored in the wall 11. In this manner the bracket serves to connect the ends of the sections and to maintain the same in perfect alinemcnt,

and further to support the track by its connection with the building through the medium of the screws 31. At a point inter mediate and substantially midway of the upper and lower ends of the bracket, are provided two horizontally disposed holes 32, 32, the same being in vertical alinement with the bosses 30, 30 at the upper end of the bracket, and preferably formed within circular bosses 33, 33 adjacent to the lateral margins of the bracket. The rib 28 is preferably divided into two parts or branches throughout the portion thereof adjacent'to 1 the holes 32, 32, the branches extending laterally to and terminating at the bosses 33, 33, as shown in F ig. l, the branches of the upper portion of the rib preferably terminating in the form of small semicircular fianges 34:, 34, projecting outwardly above the holes, said flanges serving to prevent the entrance of water and foreign materials into the holes from above. These holes constitute means for supplying lubricant to the track member 12 and to the roller journals, this being accomplished by inserting the nozzle of an oil-can through said holes. The central rib 28 is obviously adapted to afford increased strength and rigidity to the bracket to prevent the same from being distorted by reason of the vertical strain to which it is subjected, particularly throughout the portion immediately above the outwardly inclined portion 15 of the tlElClI-SUPPOItlIlg member.

The provision of two oil holes, located as above described, is preferred for the following reason: In constructing the track sections, it is desirable that all of such sections be constructed uniformly as regards the location and spacing of the holes, which are punched at the time the sections are formed and prior to the assembly of the sections to form the completed track. As will hereinafter appear, this construction not only reduces the cost of manufacture, but avoids the necessity of making such holes during the application of the sections and brackets to the building. It is therefore preferable to provide, at the ends of each section and a short distance inwardly from the end margins, two vertically alined holes, one adjacent to the upper margin and the other approximately midway of the upper and lower margins of the sections. Thus, when two sections are placed in position end to end. and a bracket applied to support the ends of the sections, there are provided at the joint two sets of holes, the uppermost set adapted to register with the screw holes and the lower set with the oil holes of the bracket. In this manner, the upper holes at the ends of the abutting sections serve as screw holes and the lower holes as apertures for the purpose of introducing oil, as before set forth. On the other hand, when one end of a section is also the end of the track, means other than a bracket is employed for supporting the section, and thus the apertures in the track serve as screw holes, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. By the provision of two oil holes 011 either side o-f-the central line of the bracket, a standard and interchangeable construction is obtained, in that the holes at the ends of the sections are so located that they will register with the screw and oil holes of the brackets, thereby avoiding the necessity of forming holes in the sections during the act of assembling the track.

Referring now to the construction employed for supporting and closing the ends of the completed track, the same consists of a plate 35, (Figs. 3 and 4), comprising a thin central web portion 36 and a marginal flange 37 extending entirely about the plate,

so that in section the plate resembles the section of an I-beam. In marginal contour the end plate ispartially irregular and conforms with the inner surface of the tracksupporting section 10 and the track portion 12, and has a straight vertical margin corresponding to the surface of the wall 11. The lower margin of the end plate is provided with a horizontal portion joining the vertical margin of the end plate and that portion thereof which conforms with the upper surface of the track member 12. -A(lja cent to the upper margin of the end plate is provided a horizontal sleeve 38, formed in tegral with the web portion 36, having a bore therethrough extending from the front to rear, entirely through the end plate. The sleeve is preferably located within the web of the end plate, so that, upon inserting the same within the end of the section with the flanged margins engaging the adjacent surfaces of the track-supporting member, the track member and the wall 11, the bore will be in registering relation with the hole at the end of the section and intermediate the upper and lower margins thereof, in which position the end margin of the flange 37 of the plate and the end margin of the section are substantially flush. Having inserted the plate within the end of the track with said bore and hole in registering relation, a screw 39 is inserted, the same being adapted to be anchored in the wall 11, thereby serving to secure the end plate in position and to firmly attach the end of the track to the building. It is to be noted that the end plate is constructed to conform with the standard arrangement of holes at the end of the section, thus enabling the same to replace a bracket for supporting the end of the track, Without providing a different arrangement of the holes. The end plate serves not only as a closure for the ends of the track, but also as stops or bumpers to prevent the displace.

construction and low cost of manufacture, is

obtained. The feature of the track member welded to the surface of the supporting member, permits the use of a single thickness of sheet metal in the formationof the latter, and avoids the necessity "of sharp bends tending to weaken the structure, and

at the same time securing the advantage of complete protect-ion to the door hanger and track from the effects of the weather. Furthermore, the provision of the standard arrangement of holes and standard construction for the brackets and end plates, contributes greatly to the ease and convenience with which a track may be assembled and applied to a building. I

The several features herein set forth may be equally well obtained by modifying the details of construction'and without depart-' ing from the spirit of my invention, and for that reason I do not wish to be limited to the construction herein shown and described, except in so far as specifically set forth in the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A door hanger structure, comprising a tract-supporting member made in sections, the opposed end edges of which are adapted to meet in abutting relation, each section be ing made of sheet metal and bent to comprise an upper flange adapted to be secured to a building wall, a web portion integral with and extending outwardly from said flange, a web portion integral with and extending downwardly from said outwardly extending web, an inclined web portion integral with and extending inwardly and downwardly from. said downwardly extending web, an inclined web portion integral with and extending outwardly and downwardly from said inwardly inclined web, a trough-shaped track member located below said outwardly extending web and secured to the said inwardly inclined web, and a bracket adapted to be secured to said wall at the joint between said sections and overlapping the meeting end portions of the latter, said bracket having an integral inclined portion extending inwardly beneath. and overlapping the meeting end portions of the inwardly inclined webs to which the trough-shaped track members are secured.

2. A door hanger structure, comprising a track-supporting member made of sheet material and bent to comprise an upper flange adapted to be secured .to the wall of a building, a web portion extending outwardly from said flange, a web portion extending downwardly from said outwardly extending web, an inclined web: extending inwardly and downwardly from said downwardly ex tending web, an inclined web extending outwardly and downwardly from said inwardly inclined web, a trough-shaped track member located below said outwardly extending web and secured to said inwardly inclined web, an end plate closing the end of said track-supporting member, said end plate comprising a body portion provided with a bolt hole extending therethrough and adapted to register with a hole in said depending web, and a bolt extending through said holes and into the wall of the building. a

In testimony that-I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 15th day of Feby., A. D. 1915.

WILLIAM F. JACOBS Vitnesses:

CARL F. STo'rTn, AMELIA M. l/Vrr'rn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C." 

